Does He Want Me To Be A Pastor?

I guess the important thing is not what we want to do but a willingness to serve God whereever and in whatever capacity He asks of us.
Who you are now in Christ and who you could become matters far more than who you where.
A good pastor has a heart for people a real in-depth love of Christs 'sheep' and that matters more than memerising bible verses. Being able to shoot scripture from the hip might appear impressive but God looks for the one who rolls up their sleeves and washes the sheets of the sick when they go to see why a person has not been to church. Degrees matter if you are called to teach or preach but not all need to go this route if they are being called to serve in a different way.

There are Christian police officers for we are called to serve Christ but not all are called to be pastors or teachers. Everyone has doubts that what they are doing now is what they should be doing and that is normal and the sensible thing is to seek God, spend time in prayer and seek the wise counsel of church elders. The first person you should be speaking to if you truly believe you are being 'called' is your pastor.

Eleknar said:

Bear with me: When I got saved back in 6th grade I wanted to go to World Harvest Bible College, graduate, and be a full time minister. As I got older and started middle and high school I fell away from God and stopped maturing in Him. During this time away from Him I was a very cold, mean, wicked person, dabbling in Satanism and other things that I'm not proud of. When I met my wife I gave myself to the Lord once again. That lasted a very short time before I fell away again, this time without all the "evil" stuff. I just fell cold and kind of gave up I suppose. But during this time, even though I hadn't read my Bible or prayed or anything to grow closer to God, I still felt that maybe I should be a pastor. The one thing I've always wanted to "be when I grow up" is a Police Officer, and I still do, but every once in a while the thought crosses my mind that maybe I'm not pursuing the right career. My question is, finally, even though I'm no where near as spiritually mature as I should be is it still possible that God wants me to do this? Even though I don't have scriptures memorized and I don't have a college degree yet or anything that you would "expect" of a person that you would call a pastor, could these thoughts and feelings be something more than just thoughts and feelings? Your advice and prayers are greatly appreciated. Thank you. God bless.

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check out 1 timothy 3 and titus 1 to see qualifications for that office. do you measure up and does your wife measure up?

as of this moment, reading your testimony, you are definitely not ready.

but.....

that doesn't mean that it is possible sometime down the line. i think you have a lot to prove to yourself. start with the basics: study the Word everyday, pray and fellowship with other believers at a local church. i cannot stress enough how vital these three basic things are.

what i am seeing reading your testimony, there is a lot of inconsistency. i would work on being more consitent, let the Word transform your thinking (Romans 12)

right now, be willing to serve in the small things and do them well without complaining. everyone has their part in the body and needs to fulfill that part. if you feel God wants you to be a pastor, i would look into some schools to help with your education. obviously, you don't have to have a degree to pastor, but...if you plan on pastoring a church, you need to educate yourself much much more than you are now.

last, there is a lot that is involved with that position, but if God wants you to and you are willing, things may work out for you in that direction. but start with the basics - grow your faith first and then let the rest come.

Walking with Jesus is a full-time ministry (service) whether one is a soldier or a pastor. That means all the Satanic crap has to go--all of it. The music, the t-shirts, the violent video games, any vices (drugs, booze, cigarettes, etc.) You also have to denounce Satan, confess your sins, and beg for Christ's forgiveness.

If you are able to walk that path, your prayers will answer that question. Jesus is our High Priest. By him we have access to the heavenly Father through prayer and may ask for whatever we need to fulfill the ministry we are in.

I would suggest reading Luke 6 first and ask yourself, "Is this the kind of person I want to be--really? The truth is that Jesus is often a person's last choice, not their first. If the answer is YES then through living a godly life and constant prayer, you may yet become a pastor. Dark experiences can help Christians reach people other Christians can't.

Ultimately, your true destiny will be found in your journey of self-discovery. Wheat or Weed, God or no God, God or Satan--that is your problem of evil.

I will reply to your post. Otherwise remain blessed and know that God has plans for you. And he is never too late, he comes at the right times.

I kind of have the same problem. I gave a $50 check to my friend who needed it right then. Right after that I felt, for a long time...God was telling me he wanted me to go into the ministry. But, I have an illness, I hear voices and I don't know if it was really God or a voice or something.

Everybody wants to be the pastor !
Which is a good thing, BUT...

i'm speaking from experience here;
i got saved when i was 18. i was in Teen Challenge for a year. After that, i imediately went into "the ministry", as a youth counselor. That lasted for a year. Being in TC, and this ministry was like being under an umbrella, for 2 years, because i wasn't in "the world", to be tempted. i went to Bible College within those 2 years, and got enough credits for a "certificate of Biblical Studies". But i had NO EXPERIENCE with real life situations, such as TEMPTATION. So, when i walked out from under the 'umbrella', i imediately FELL. i wasn't ready for "the world".

About 20 years later, i got tired of being in the ditch, so i repented. And totally sold out to God.
For me, my problem was that i was somewhat ashamed of talking about Jesus. Even after being to Bible College.
What totally changed my life; i started "confessing with my mouth, that Jesus was my Lord and Savior".

in the past 20 years, i've been a carpenter. i build houses, and i have a good reputation for it.
Our christian life is much like building a house.
Humans want everything right now. We don't want to take the time needed to actually build the house. We just want to live in it.
In building, everything begins with a plan. Then the foundation. Then the frame, and then the plumbing, the insulation, wiring, the building 'skin' or siding, the roof, etc... Each stage depends upon the previous one, and is effected by all of the other stages. For instance, if the foundation is 2" out of square, and you don't compensate for it, the next step, thee framing will be 2" out of square, which puts the drywall 2" out of square, as well as the roof. It's a snowball effect.

If we don't have a good foundation to build this house on, we will waste a whole lot of time building the thing, because eventually it will crumble.
But, even after the foundation is built, IT TAKES TIME TO BUILD THE HOUSE. Each stage of our life is part of a "master plan" of salvation. If we don't know how to "read" the plan, we will be unable to properly build the house, and our time will be spent in confusion, and not knowing how to proceed. Yes, we might have a foundation, but when it comes to progress, we will be lacking.

Eleknar said:

Bear with me: When I got saved back in 6th grade I wanted to go to World Harvest Bible College, graduate, and be a full time minister. As I got older and started middle and high school I fell away from God and stopped maturing in Him. During this time away from Him I was a very cold, mean, wicked person, dabbling in Satanism and other things that I'm not proud of. When I met my wife I gave myself to the Lord once again. That lasted a very short time before I fell away again, this time without all the "evil" stuff. I just fell cold and kind of gave up I suppose. But during this time, even though I hadn't read my Bible or prayed or anything to grow closer to God, I still felt that maybe I should be a pastor. The one thing I've always wanted to "be when I grow up" is a Police Officer, and I still do, but every once in a while the thought crosses my mind that maybe I'm not pursuing the right career. My question is, finally, even though I'm no where near as spiritually mature as I should be is it still possible that God wants me to do this? Even though I don't have scriptures memorized and I don't have a college degree yet or anything that you would "expect" of a person that you would call a pastor, could these thoughts and feelings be something more than just thoughts and feelings? Your advice and prayers are greatly appreciated. Thank you. God bless.

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You need to take some time by yourself to get closer to God. Pray and ask him what he wants of you. You will get your answer. You will feel it deep in your heart.

Check out this book: Just Do Something: How to Make a Decision Without Dreams, Visions, Fleeces, Open Doors, Random Bible Verses, Casting Lots, Liver Shivers, Writing in the Sky, etc